clams and mussels

Growing up in New Jersey, this classic Italian-American pasta dish was one of my favorites: Linguini or spaghetti with white clam sauce. Clams, herbs, olive oil and lotsa garlic! I make this normally with West Coast littleneck clams, but lots of different clams will work.

It’s occurred to me that there is a lot of misinformation out there about purging the sand from clams. I’ve been doing it for many, many years and here is how I do it, and what you need to know to do it yourself at home.

I love fried clams. A lot. Maybe too much. My sisters will attest to this. Well, this is how they make fried clams in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where I’ve been eating giant baskets of them since at least 1974. This recipe is so good you’ll want to head out to the clam flats ASAP.

I never liked smoked mussels out of a can. So I thought I did not like them. But on a lark, I decided to make some myself. Holy crap they are good! Rarely have I encountered something so foul in a can that is so sublime when homemade.